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Vol. 1 (Church of Misery)
Vol. 1 is the debut album of Church of Misery. Originally considered as an advance demo by the band it is considered by some to be their debut album though the band themselves for a time considered Master of Brutality to be their first full-length. Recorded in 1996 with the original singer Kazuhiro Asaeda, the music composes traditional doom metal and predates the "serial killer" theme the band is known for. The album got initially released by USA bootleg label Doom Records before eventually being officially released by Leaf Hound Records in 2007 and later Emetic Records in 2011. This album notably features a cover of "Race With The Devil", originally written by late 60s British band Gun. Background Doom Records and Discontent When Church of Misery formed in 1995, the band started working together doom songs in the vein of Black Sabbath and other classic 60s/70s hard rock bands. The band would record this (Along with alternate mixes of two songs) with the intents of self-releasing Vol. 1 as their debut album. According to the band, personal conflicts ultimately prevented the album and the single from being released. Eventually Marshall Levy and notorious bootleg label Doom Records would release it unofficially in 1997. The band had never intended to release the album after Asaeda was replaced by Nobukazu Chow and only found out when American listeners wrote to the band talking about the record. Despite gaining support outside of Japan, the record was never released with their permission and greatly displeased the band. In an archived page, the band goes into the story behind it's initial release along with encouraging listeners not to buy it... In 2000, the band intended to release two songs from Vol. 1 along with the two unreleased single mixes in a split with Acrimony while further encouraging fans to not buy Vol. 1 from Doom Records. Ultimately, this would not get released until 2003. Leaf Hound Records Reissue In 2006, Japanese label Leaf Hound Records announced that they would officially reissue Vol. 1 for the first time on vinyl on July 31, 2007. Along with the album on 180g vinyl the single remixes were also included as a 70g heavy black 7". The inside of the gatefold would feature the liner notes in an inverted cross, mimicking the original gatefold of Black Sabbath's self-titled record. The details on each version are as follows: Standard Edition: *- Limited to 450 copies *- Extra heavy 12" gatefold sleeve *- 7" picture sleeve (in 60s Japanese pressing style) *- Inner sleeve *- Obi strap *- Liner notes (written in Japanese) Die-hard Edition: *- Limited to 50 copies *- Extra heavy 12" gatefold sleeve with pop-up representation of serial killers *- Silkscreen printed fabric bag *- 7" picture sleeve (different from normal version, in 70s Japanese pressing style) Emetic Reissue In 2011, along with Early Works Compilation, Emetic Records would re-release Vol. 1 in the United States on CD and vinyl, fully remastered. Tracklist All songs written by Tatsu Mikami and all lyrics by Kazuhiro Asaeda except where noted. *1. Cloud Bed (7:23) *2. Nutz (6:53) *3. Kingdom Scum (7:13) *4. Frog's Funeral (3:23) (Tomohiro Nishimura) *5. Cerebrate Pigs (8:13) *6. Chilly Grave (5:56) (Music: Mikami / Lyrics: Nishimura) *7. Race With The Devil (3:31) (Adrian Gurvitz) *8. Race With The Devil (Single Version) (3:49) (Adrian Gurvitz) *9. Chilly Grave (Single Version) (6:12) (Music: Mikami / Lyrics: Nishimura) Personnel * Tatsu Mikami - Bass * Hideki Shimizu - Drums * Tomohiro Nishimura - Guitar * Kazuhiro Asaeda - Vocals * O-Mi Kihara - Recording, Producer * M-Glue - Artwork * Tatsuhiko Nonaka - Artwork External Links References Category:Release Category:Studio Album Category:Doom Metal Category:Church of Misery Category:Tokyo Category:Japan Category:Leaf Hound Records Category:Emetic Records Category:Bootleg